LONG BEACH – The Southern California Military Academy opened its doors on Signal Hill in 1924 and for the next 63 years taught hundreds of young boys to become responsible men.

Although declining attendance caused the Academy’s closure in 1987, the memory and impact lives on for former cadet Kirk Schenewark, who decided to organize an Academy all-class reunion.

“I was enrolled after experiencing a not so impressive experience in our public school system,” he said. “It was clear I was not getting the best education public school had to offer. I loved our military and my dad set in motion two very memorable years of my growing up.”

Schenewark attended SCMA during his 8th- and 9th-grade years and says, while there, his grades and his pride in his grades improved.

The South Western Military Academy, as it was called in earlier years, was founded by a group of Long Beach businessmen and was located at the corner of 21st Street and Cherry Avenue.

As an all-male boarding school, it grew to become the largest and oldest academy on the West Coast with strong emphasis on academics with a college preparatory curriculum.

“It instilled pride in each young man, and with the chance to go up in rank, you competed for better grades and leadership roles,” Schenewark said. “The results of this program and style of teaching was respect, courtesy, discipline and establishing what our motto stood for, “Character before Career.”

The Academy rewarded cadets with the benefits of a higher education, something still appreciated today, he said.

For more than six decades, the Academy taught hundreds of boys, ranging in age from kindergarten to 12th grade in earlier years, and through 9th grade in latter years.

“This Academy was important because it improved the education with smaller classes than public schools, and teachers who had more love and care for the kids than I have ever seen since going there,” Schenewark said.

Children from all over Southern California attended SCMA, he said.

In the summer of 1985, the cadet corps of SCMA was cast in the film “Over The Top,” with Sylvester Stallone. The film was shot at Cal Poly Pomona, but the cadets of SCMA were used throughout the beginning of the film which takes place at a military school.

“Our school prided itself on building strong, educated, respectful men who would exhibit their respect, courtesy and honor of being an educated citizen and we would then take that into the real world to better our lives and society,” Schenewark said. Although there is little archived memories of SCMA, Schenewark was determined. He hopes to bring together many of the more than 400 alumni located through Facebook and Classmates.com.

“Some of the former cadets have went on to proudly serve our military and country, become a U.S. Senator, private business entrepreneur and an NFL football player,” he said. “Cadets went on to serve their country with pride and honor and respect. This is important in any profession. We are proud of all our former alumni members.”

Stories are still heard today of parents wishing they could enroll their child in such a productive learning program, Schenewark said.

“It was a loss to our community. The fine teachers who served our school were loyal, loving and dedicated to our cadets’ success in life and their future endeavors,” he said. “You can not find this type of teaching program in a public school system. It was the main reason for my attending and many were saddened the day it closed.”

Cadets were often taught and instructed by retired military officers, Schenewark said. One, former history teacher and Commandant LTC. Irving J. Aden is expected to attend the reunion.

“Many are looking forward to seeing him for the first time in 23 years or longer,” Schenewark said. “You could not ask for a better history teacher than one who fought in four wars and served his country in many arenas.”

There’s nothing like learning from people who have experienced world and U.S. history first hand, he said.

“Our reunion will bring great people back to connect with each other and that is what life is about,” Schenewark said. “I myself will be thanking past teachers for their loyalty to my education and the skills I have exhibited in my life since then.”